Skeemsaam committee members protest for basic services

The newly-appointed Skeemsaam committee members with their legal representative, Abe Braaf, seated.

The families living in Skeemsaam informal settlement on the corner of Falcon and Acacia roads, Grassy Park, raised placards – during the morning of Wednesday July 27 and again in the afternoon – in an attempt to get the attention of the City of Cape Town.

This protest, they say, follows numerous calls for the City of Cape Town to provide them with electricity.

The residents have been living in the Skeemsaam informal settlement for six years and since then the number of homes erected in the area has increased to 47.

Sophia Amos, newly-appointed Skeemsaam committee leader, says the residents have been asking for electricity and other basic services to create a better living environment, since 2016.

“It is very cold on the land,“ she says. ”We have also been very scared as being without lights is creating a dangerous place to stay.”

Ms Amos and the new committee of Skeemsaam recently met with their legal representative Abe Braaf, to discuss their issues.

Mr Braaf says a major concern is that there’s no electricity, which means there’s no lighting or hot water.

The lack of lighting, he said, posed a particular danger to disabled children and a wheelchair-bound adult who have to get around in the dark. The lack of lighting increased the crime risk, and children also had to do homework by candlelight, which added fire risk to the perils of living in the area.

Another major concern, says Mr Braaf, are “criminal elements who hide close by, in and around the structures when fleeing from police as the area is in darkness”.

Mr Braaf says he has asked that the City provide the residents with electricity. “I will (also) be helping to set up big mobile hospitals with electricity on vacant fields to help ease the need during Covid-19.

“I am concerned about the manner in which the City is handling the demand for basic services and lights of citizens in the new democratic and prosperous South Africa,” says Mr Braaf.

“I feel that the City must come and listen to the people and find ways to address it instead of waiting until the people to protest which can turn violent and cause damage to property and loss of life.”

Mr Braaf says the residents of Skeemsaam are also calling on the City to provide housing for them.

Malusi Booi, the City’s mayoral committee member for human settlements, says there are many communities in need of basic services and that people who settle on land illegally, do so knowing that there are no electricity or sanitation services.

“The City has to act in fairness and to recognise all of the other communities who have been waiting patiently for the delivery of services,” he says.

“This is especially important in light of the enormous increase in unlawful land occupations across the metro in the last year. Those who settle on land illegally do so at their own risk, knowing there are no services on the land.

“Numerous newly-established communities are demanding services but currently the City is unable to cater for these unplanned settlements as existing recognised informal settlements are prioritised on the basis of available resources, which are not limitless and planned budgeted spend.”

With regards to the request for housing, Mr Booi says: “The Western Cape Government is currently undertaking the Greater Retreat Project, which aims to provide housing to areas of great need, including Parkwood.”

He says a number of vacant sites have been identified for inclusion in that project, and are currently being investigated in terms of feasibility. However, says Mr Booi, “If land is illegally occupied, projects cannot go ahead.”

Meanwhile Mr Braaf told Southern Mail that he and the Skeemsaam committee had had an urgent meeting with ward councillor William Akim (Ward 66 ), sub-council chairperson Shannon Rossouw and council members on Friday July 30.

The meeting, he said, had resulted from last week’s non-violent protests in Skeemsaam.

“The meeting was fruitful. The City indicated that they will investigate the situation and have follow-up meetings with the committee about the outcome of the request,” he said.

Ms Rossouw confirmed this.